The last time the horse seriously competed with man-made transport for speed was 1830，when a stagecoach won a race against America's first domestically manufactured steam locomotive （蒸汽機(jī)車）.
Now horsekind has emerged victorious over what is in theory a far more powerful opponent — the broadband internet connection.
The contest over the gently rolling hills of the Sauerland，a pretty district in western Germany，started as a joke.
Klaus-Peter Kappest，a photographer from Oberkirchen，had been frustrated for years by the slow pace of his uploads.At 15 megabits （比特，一種信息量單位） per second，it sometimes takes him several hours to send a batch of high-resolution images to his clients.One day Mr Kappest，52，was chatting to his colleagues at Woll，a local magazine.He suggested that he would be better off delivering his photographs by horse. "That was the most reliable communications technology in the Middle Ages，" he said. "And the editor said， 'Well let's do it then，let's see which is truly faster."
Mr Kappest turned to Jakob Schutte，a rider who lives in the same village，and Favo，his horse.The photographer burnt 4.2 GB of images on to a DVD，packed it into a bag and sent it off with Favo and Mr Schutte on the 10km ride to the printer's office in Schmallenberg.
At the same time he uploaded the data through WeTransfer，a popular file-sharing service.The computer had a 20-minute head start while Mr Schutte started off down the road，past Wilzenberg mountain.Favo made the journey in 104 minutes.The file transfer，however，was not finished until the horse had returned to Oberkirchen more than two hours later.In total it took five hours.
There was a serious point behind the story.Germany has long been known for its poor broadband and mobile internet coverage，particularly in the countryside.Two years ago a report by a network regulator found that 29 per cent of internet users received less than half the speed to which they were contractually entitled.While things have improved，a global survey carried out this year found that it took on average 16 minutes and eight seconds to download a 5 GB film through a German internet connection—a little better than the UK but worse than Puerto Rico and Barbados.
In the Sauerland，Mr Kappest's area，millions of euros have been spent on a new network but the connections have yet to be switched on in dozens of towns and villages，including Oberkirchen.The horse race did its job：Mr Kappest has since been assured that his broadband will be up and running next month.
（1）The story of a stagecoach is mentioned in the first paragraph mainly to AA.
A．lead in the topic
B．introduce a new race
C．highlight a historical year
D．correct people's misunderstanding
（2）Which of the following is true of Jakob Schutte and his horse？ CC
A．They were hired by WeTransfer.
B．They used to live in Schmallenberg.
C．They completed the task in less than two hours.
D．They spent five hours on the way to Oberkirchen.
（3）Which of the following is a consequence of the horse race？ BB
A．Germany will realize its poor broadband service.
B．Mr Kappest will soon have a better internet connection.
C．More euros will be spent on the new network in the Sauerland.
D．Oberkirchen will be the first in Germany to stop any horse race，
（4）Which of the following may be the best title of the passage？ DD
A．Germany falls behind in wifi connection
B．History hardly repeats itself in normal ways
C．Uploading photographs in a modern world is all that easy
D．Horse power still has an advantage in race with village wifi
【答案】A；C；B；D
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/16 8:0:9組卷：3引用：2難度：0.3
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2．Hi Judy!
You often complain to me that you always buy goods unreasonably on sale promotion（促銷）and feel it shameful after going back to your school dormitory with new things not needed，considering all the money you spend is your parents' income．
In fact，this is a common phenomenon，called impulsive buying，a buying unplanned and hard to control．It usually happens when a store offers discounts（打折）or sales promotion-a special way used by stores to get more customers，which means you may fall into its traps even without notice．
Stores，with a good knowledge of customers' psychology（心理），make use of it to drive business．Avoiding all the impulsive buying is a hard thing．However，knowing our psychology behind it and reducing the times when influenced by sales promotion may be useful．So you should keep calm when facing the sales promotion by keeping in mind what you really need．
Find out the conditions where you are likely to buy things blindly．When seeing a dress advertised at 20% off，do not concentrate on the discount，but warn yourself against falling into the trap of "saving money''．
Besides，do not forget the long-term effects of your choice when meeting a sales promotion．Short-term benefits，like excited feeling just after buying items encourage impulsive buying．But the long-term costs such as waste of money and the sense of shame really annoy you．When seeing the advertisements，remember what you really want to buy originally and warn yourself of that terrible feeling．Only in this way can you save money for really needed things．
Yours，
Rachel
（1）Judy felt it a shame to．
A．complain to others about the poverty of her family
B．waste her parents' money on unneeded things
C．buy cheap things at lower prices or with less money
D．rely on her parents for further education
（2）Which of the following is true of impulsive buying according to Rachel？
A．It is designed by shops to draw customers' attention．
B．It can be brought under control with the help of stores．
C．It is planned by buyers with the purpose of saving money．
D．It is done by customers without considering its bad effects．
（3）In face of sales promotion Judy is advised to．
A．have belief in her own immediate decision
B．check the quality of the goods at low prices
C．stay calm by thinking about what she really needs
D．take the chance to learn more about stores tricks
（4）How do buyers usually feel in the long run after buying discounted things？
A．Regretful．
B．Thrilled．
C．Relaxed．
D．Sceptical．發(fā)布：2025/1/10 8:0:1組卷：4引用：2難度：0.6 -
3．Ever since I graduated from high school I've worked in the factories surrounding my hometown every summer.However，making the transformation between school and full-time blue-collar work during the break never gets any easier.For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be unacceptable，getting to a factory by 6 o'clock each morning is suffering.My friends never seem to understand why I'm so relieved to be back at school or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation.
There are few people as self-confident as a college student who has never been out in the real world.People of my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge.In fact，all the classes did not prepare me for my battles with the machine I ran in the plant，which would jam whenever I absent-mindedly put in a part backward or upside down.
The most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear over night.Issues like being laid off and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my co-workers told me that the unit I was working in would shut down within six months and move to Mexico，where people would work for 60 cents an hour.
After working 12-hour shifts（輪班）in a factory，the other options have become only too clear. "This job pays well，but it's hell on the body，" said one co-worker. "Study hard and keep reading." she added.When I'm back at the university，skipping classes and turning in lazy re-writes seems too irresponsible after seeing what I would be doing without school.All the advice and public-service announcements about the value of an education that used to sound stale（陳腐的）now ring true.
My experiences in the factories have inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good.
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A．They do better in the real world.
B．They are confident when they work.
C．They think too highly of themselves.
D．They are expert at handling machines.
（3）What is the biggest pressure for blue-collar workers？
A．A low income.
B．The lack of security.
C．An unstable location.
D．Less break.
（4）How did the working experiences change the author？
A．He became responsible for his work.
B．He learned to be more practical at work.
C．He began to respect blue-collar workers.
D．He came to appreciate his college education.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5
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